Electric switch.



Patented Aug. 2

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ELECTRIC SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOSEPH H. WTRIGHT, a citizen of the -United States, residing at North Fort Vllorth, in the county of Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an electric switch in the form of a combination lock, the object o f the invention is to complete an electric u 0 circuit upon the turning in the proper manner a dial similar to those employed in combination'loclrs, the tumblers usually used in such locks being replaced by contact points, thereby permitting the sivitch'to be so set or operated as to complete a circuitonly by a y hav-ing the con'ibination, the said com; bination being changeable at Will.

vrThe device can be employed in any place Where it is desired to niakefand break an electric circuit, and where it is desired that the making of said circuit should be under the control ofrcertain parties only.

The devicecan be employed in connection with an electrically operated loch, so that the doors of safes, or other doors when properly loclted can he opened only by operH ating my switch so as to complete the electric circuit. The device can also be applied vto automobiles for making and breaking the circuit to the i gniting devices, thus making it impossible for any one not knowing the combination to start the engine. lit will be obvious that the device can also he cmployed in connection with any engine in the operation of which a sparking pl ug is einployed, thus prevei'iting the engine from being at any time tampered with by unauthorized persons. lt will be further obvious that. the switch can be inserted ina tehvphone circuitthereby preventing outsiders from malting personal use oi the telephone.

From the above it will be clear that the device can be found of use in avariety of Ways in connection with electric circuits of all kinds. The device can also be connected electrically with any kind ofburglar alarm system so that t-he turning of the dial, When the device is so connected, will turn in a burglar alarm.

The invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter'described,

pointed out in .the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, 1n which,

Specioaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, 1909.

Patented Aug. 2, 1911i. Serial No. 481,703.

Figure l is a diametrio section through my device, the operating mechanism being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of F igfl. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through one of the contact carrying arms; F ig. 5 is a side view of the cylinder.

In ,these drawings, 1 represents a section of a wall, door, or of a casing inclosing the switch, which casing can be secured to a Wall, post or any other form of support.

Fitting in a i Suitable circular opening formedin the wall, is Va stationary portion 2 of a dial and passing through said p0rt-ion and rotating therein is a shaft 3 the outer end of which has formed or fixed upon it the revoluble portion 4 ofthe dial, and this shaft also carries a head 5 by means of which the shaft is rotated, these parts are of course all insulated from the current carrying portion of the mechanism Which Will' be described hereafter.

A circular plate G is secured by screws to the stationary portion 2 of the dial Carried by the plate G is a. cylinder 7 formed of iber, hard rubber or other suitable insulating material.

The inner end of the cylinder is closed by an end plate 8. Upon the shaft 8 and adjacent the plate t3 is'a sleeve 9 of insulating material which is pinned or otherwise keyed to the shaft. This sleeve is provided with a squared hub portion 10 upon which is mounted a tubular arm 11, said arm rotating spoke-like with the hub. Adjacent this aroi is loosely mounted upon the shaft'a second arm 12, also insulated from the shaft, but electrically connected to the first arm by a copper washer l-l, also insulated from the shaft. A. washer 14 of an insulating material spaces the'arm 12 from an arm 15. The arm 15 is electrically connected by a copper washer similar to that of 13 With a fourth arm 16. Vith the exception of the first ari'nfwhich is tixed upon the shaft all of these arms are loosely mounted, all of them are insulated from the shaft, and while I have shown two sets of arms as many sets may be employed as desired, the greater the numberl of sets the more complicated the combination becomes and consequently the more difficult to operate. As all of these arms are similar in construction and parpse the object' being u) bridge' electrically lthe space inclosed within the cylinheld in close contact with the smooth inner face ofthe cylinder. Upon t-he inner walls of this cylinder are placed contact plates 19' which are arranged 1n four'sets, there being three plates in each'set" the said plates being equi-distant apart and the -plates of one set are staggered with ,`respect to those of the other sets. Each of the contact points 18 travels over the three plates of one set, the contact plates 19 as shown in the drawings may be in the form of the inner end of a binding post, said posts being provided with lock nuts 20 bearin upon the outer face'of the cylinder, and tiese ostscarry binding screws 21. Electric con uctors'a, b," e, and d run respectively to a binding post in each set. twelve of the binding posts, and the dial ijs divided into twelve graduations, corresponding to the numbered raduations of the usual combination lock dia A coil spring 22 encircles the rear end portion of'the shaft 3 and by passing upon the rearmost washer serves to hold the loosely mounted arms in contact. Y

The electric circuits can best be explained in connection with a brief description of the operation of the switch. Assuming that the contact points are out of engagement with the plates 19 it will be obvious that the circuit will be broken, and as one set of arms complete one side' of the circuit and the other set complete the return circuit it will be obvious that the circuit is broken in two places. It will also be understood that while there areA twelve contact points and four arms,

nections from one post to the other the combination canbe changed. Each arm carries a laterally extending lug 28, with the eX- ception of the fourth arm and as the arms are carried about the shaft they engage the adjacent arm by means of these lugs, so that all ofthe arms are thus rotated upon proper turning of the dial. In order to bring these arms in the proper position so that' their contact points will Contact with the plates in the circuit the movable member ofthe dial is turned to the left three times, stop.

ping upon the third turn at the first figure of the combination which represents the number ofthe binding ost with whicht the arm 16 is to connect. T is arm is moved by the fixed arm 11 bringing its lug 23 into en. y gagement with the arm 12 which. in, turnbrings its lug into engagement with 'the arm 15 which in its' turn engages andv moves the In the form illustrated there are' arm 16, the saidl arni reaching its proper i position after two complete revolutions, and

a suiiicient portion of a third revolution for` the dial to register at the first figure of the combination. The dial is then-turned to the left twice, stopping on the second turn, the` second figure of the combination, thus setting the arm 15, it -is then turned to the right to the third ligure of the combinationthus setting 'the arm 12,' and it is .then turned tothe 1eft, leaving the three arms mentioned in their respective places, and by stopping it at the fourth figure ofthe combination the fixed arm l1 -is Abrought into osition with its proper contactplate.' A circuit is new' completed, by means of the binding and Contact plates and the spring vpressed points 18 through the arm .12 the co Vper vwasher 13,.thearml14, to the electric eck, telephone,motor, sparking plugor other device in the circuit of which thejswitchfhas been placed, andreturning through arm 16, the copperwasher' between it and thethird arm and thence along the thrd'erm to the binding post with which said arm is eleictricfA ally connected. i

As previously stated the number of arms is immaterial as they may -be two in number or any multiple of two, and the number of.

binding posts is also immaterial and they can 'be arran ed labout the cylinder in a number. ofdil erent ways. It will also be obvious that the device can be connected s0 as to break one circuit two or more times, or

'if desired the various sets of arm's may breakv different circuits, so that the operation of the device will simultaneously complete two or more circuits. Orit will also bev obvious that the device cantlie connected in a ninth ber of circuits infi-fsileh a manner that when one circuit is completed another is broken, thereby rendering 1t impossible to have two circuits closedY at the same time.

1. A device of the kind described comprisinga rotatable shaft, an arm fixed upon the shaft, a plurality of loose arms, means carjred by each arm for engaging and moving an adjacent arm, a casing concentric with said shaft and inclosing said arms, and a plurality of binding posts carried by said casing, the inner endsv of said binding posts `forming contact platesl for the arms, a poringv` posts being includedv tion of said bin in an electric circuit, the same4 forming a part of a lock thefcornbination of which is changed by changing the binding posts in- -cluded at one time in ,the circuit.

2.. A device of the kind described comprisf ing a' cylinder, a series of contact platesarranged circumferentially about the cylinder, said plates being'divided into'two sets, a rotatable shaft, an arm fixed upon and insulated from the shaft, a spring pressed contact point carried lby said arm,- said point traveling over one set'l of plates,' an erm veacll rset of plates, the fixed loosely loosely mounted upon and insulated from mounted arms being electrically connected as the shaft, a spring pressed Contact point carand for the purpose set forth.

ried by the loosely'mounted arm, said point JOEDHENDERSON WRIGHT. traveling over the other set of plates, bnd- Witnesses: e ing posts secured to said plates, and electric E. C. JOYCEj conductors connected toy a bndngpost of 4 WM. CALVERT., 

